


Honesty is overrated

by signalnayeon



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:27:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23896789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/signalnayeon/pseuds/signalnayeon
Summary: in which Hope is in love with her best friend and Josie Saltzman makes everything harder for her.ORa complicated love rectangle
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman, Milton "MG" Greasley/Lizzie Saltzman
Comments: 7
Kudos: 56





	Honesty is overrated

**Author's Note:**

> wrote this one ago and decided to turn into into a Hose fic. hope you enjoy it

The cheers erupted the second the ball hit the net, the celebrating trumpets of the school band and final whistle from the referee followed not long after.

The game was over. They won.

She released a sigh in the middle of trying to catch her breath after all that last minute effort. The back of her hand wiped the accumulation of sweat on her forehead. Some players of the other team shook her hand, congratulating her and her whole school on the win, but leaving their own field with a disappointed frown and clenched jaws nonetheless. She couldn’t blame them. Nothing stung more than losing a game you were hosting.

Soon enough, her teammates jumped on her back, hugging and scratching her head in a fond way, drowning her with compliments and praise.

“Hope you little shit” She hears Penelope, captain, goal keeper of the team and long time friend, before she feels her knuckles on her scalp. “you just had to make them suffer ‘til the last minute, didn’t you?”

She could’ve answered with another remark, she had plenty ready already, but the team’s ace player had forgotten all about them as soon as she faced the bleachers and all her focus had switched to the same girl, once again and again and again…

There she was, cheering along with her own team, shaking her blue and yellow pompoms in the air, eyes half shut from how happy she was, but Hope knew she was looking back at her even from this distance. Because Hope was looking too, and because Hope had always paid a particular attention to Maya that she didn’t- no, couldn’t, give to anyone else.

The people left one by one until no one but a few players and cheerleaders from both schools were left on the field. After all, the show was over and there was nothing left to see. Hope’s whole team had moved to the visitor’s locker rooms and she, herself, was just on her way out when she stepped on her untied shoelaces, almost tripping in the process.

Her eyes visit the back of her head in annoyance, once more reminding herself that she should seriously learn how to do them on her own. She crouches at the same time Maya does in front of her. (Hope couldn’t understand how she hadn’t noticed her coming. She usually always did).

The younger brunette gently swats her fingers away from the laces, taking the latter in her care instead. Hope just watches for the few seconds she could. Not her shoes, not even Maya’s fingers in action to try to understand and learn the complex mechanism and secret behind getting the perfect laces knot, she just watches Maya. She watches Maya up close (it was a view she was used to, but couldn’t quite get over) and once again notices how pretty she was. Her brown eyes looked so focused on even the most mundane of tasks, the clear headband was a new fashion choice but Hope appreciated it a lot, then again, there wasn’t a single thing she didn’t appreciate about her.

“You know you’re gonna have to teach me at some point” She speaks when Maya looks up at her. Her brown eyes were now focused on something else “you can’t go around tying my shoelaces every time”

The brunette gives her one of her many smiles that never failed to make Hope’s heart swell for a reason, whether it was sad or happy. Actually, to be more exact, anything Maya ever did made Hope’s heart swell from endearment. 

“What if I want to?” She teases, hugging her knees in the process, and fights back her gigantic smile.

Hope was about to answer when Maya suddenly got up, encouraging her to do the same.

“I’ll be waiting for you in the car”

“Sure I’ll just go get my b-” Hope doesn’t get the chance to finish her sentence for Maya starts running away to the parking lot, yelling in the process.

“Whatever! Just hurry up. I’m hungry and so is everyone else apparently”

Hope’s smile only grows wider and although her muscles are aching and asking of her to take it slow, she makes a run for the bleachers where Penelope had set one of her bags for her.

And maybe it was the aftermath of the game that got her so tired, or maybe it was the thought of Maya’s smile, but once again Hope had failed to check her surroundings.

“If you don’t wipe that whipped look off your face right now I might actually throw up”

Legs crossed, palms set on the metallic surface of the bleachers and arms stretched so she was leaning back, sat the cheerleading team’s captain.

“Saltzman” Greets Hope.

Said girl turns back her attention to the horizon after a glance, almost ignoring the player’s presence, as if she wasn’t the one who had initiated the conversation, but Hope waits, because Josie sighs overdramatically and so she knows there’s more to come.

“When are you going to tell her”

It doesn’t sound like a question, not when Hope stops looking in her bag to watch the way Josie presses her lips, almost as if she wants an answer and wouldn’t wait for it, or the way her dark eyes look challenging, daring her to speak the truth or worse, lie.

So Hope lies.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about” She speaks confidently before going back to her bag.

Her current shirt is quickly pulled over her head. She was hot and she refused to stay a second longer in a jersey drenched in sweat. Her fingers closed around her water bottle.

“I see. choosing to hide” The older girl pauses for effect, eyes lingering, “I don’t mind, I always thought honesty was too overrated to begin with”

Hope looks back her way, the odd combination of words having had caught her attention. And if that statement hadn’t, then the following one would’ve done the job just fine.

“but don’t you think you’re being selfish?”

“I beg your pardon?”

If Hope didn’t know any better, she would’ve thought Josie froze for a second and even looked like she regretted her comment. But Hope knew Josie never regretted anything.

“What if _she_ found out you weren’t honest?”

A silence settles between them, a silence that gives time for the question to resonate inside Hope’s head for a second; and she comes to a conclusion. She doesn’t like where this conversation was going nor did she like the way it started, not when it sounded somewhat threatening to her ear.

Josie was a good friend of Maya’s, especially since she’s become captain after only a year of attending the school (they were both running for the captain’s position, and Maya only showed Hope how devastated she was after losing to the new girl. Maya got over it pretty soon, but Hope didn’t). Josie Saltzman was also class president, Elizabeth Saltzman’s twin sister and Penelope’s childhood best friend, which clearly didn’t help Hope’s case. The point is, although the both of them had friends in common, Hope and Josie were never really close, and although they sometimes met outside of school, they never really talked that much.

It was mainly because Hope was so busy with Maya, and Josie looked just as busy with Penelope.

Hope tears her gaze away from the dark eyes and throws her jersey in the bag before swinging the latter over her shoulder. The player was preparing herself to leave for the lockers and take a shower, not wanting to keep Maya waiting any longer, when she spotted the smiling tall boy walking over to them, and she realized she wanted to get her point clear. If Josie wanted to start a friendship, Hope had to let her know that it wasn’t how she should’ve tried.

So it’s with a stern face, serious tone and defying eyes that she addresses the older girl:

“I could ask you the same question”

And Hope makes her leave, crossing path with Landon, the smiling tall boy, who briefly greets her before continuing his walk to the bleachers.

Josie Saltzman watches from where she was sitting. She reluctantly gets up, brushing the non existent dust from her uniform the second she meets the boy’s eyes.

It was time for her to leave too. She sighs. Arms wrap around her waist, lifting her up and so, she smiles.

If Hope was selfish, then so was Josie. The two were exactly the same. Only difference was that Josie had a boyfriend.

* * *

“twenty minutes”

Hope had just gotten inside her own car and thrown her bags in the backseat.

Her hair was still damp and she hoped it would naturally dry itself during the drive. On the bright side, she now smelled better than the way she did a few moments ago, but on the other hand, Maya, who was sitting arms crossed in the passenger seat, sulking like a 5-year-old kid, didn’t look too happy.

“I’ve been waiting for twenty minutes. Which part of _hurry up_ and _I’m hungry_ didn’t you get?”

If she wanted to look even the least bit seriously upset or even threatening in this case, Hope thought Maya shouldn’t have pouted the way she did.

“Relax” Protests the star player “It’s a 10-minute drive anyway, you’ll get stuffed with food soon enough”

The keys are set and soon enough, the car starts driving them away from the school parking lot.

“Penelope and the others are already there, just so you know” informs a still sulky Maya. Her hand works on finding a _good_ radio station that is actually broadcasting a _good_ song.

“So Penelope doesn’t shower” Is all Hope gets from that piece of information, squinting her nose in disgust. Maya doesn’t answer, “Trust me, you wouldn’t want me anywhere near you after a game”

The brunette doesn’t skip a beat.

“That’s not true” She blurts, surprising herself and Hope by how fast she had responded, “She smelled nice and just changed shirts, I checked for myself”

There’s a red light and Hope can finally look at her best friend sitting beside her. She only ends up meeting her gaze halfway (Maya is always a step ahead). Hope remembered how much she loved it when she tied her hair in a low ponytail like that, and gosh, that stupid outfit was not helping at all.

It was during times like these that Hope felt the guiltiest about her feelings, when she wanted to do things to her best friend that she wasn’t supposed to do to a best friend.

_“don’t you think you’re being selfish?”_

_“What if she found out you weren’t honest?”_

“No offense but I doubt a goal keeper sweats as much as a striker during a game. Especially one as easy as today. She barely even moved”

Maya had a tendency of always getting what she wanted, especially if Hope was somehow involved, and if she asked the right questions, and she _always_ asks the right questions, Hope wouldn’t be able to look her in the eyes, thus, Maya would ask more right questions and Hope would have no other choice but to spill. So that is why Hope decided to just focus on the road, as she should.

“Are you implying Penelope, your captain, doesn’t contribute to the team as much as you do?”

“That’s _not_ what I meant and you know it” The red light shifts to green. Hope is somewhat relieved. “We’d be more than lost without her and not to mention that the score would’ve been drastically different. She’s good at catching balls”

“I don’t doubt that” Is all Maya replies, joking smile playing on her lips, and Hope can only roll her eyes at how Maya can find a sexual interpretation to everything.

“You smell of lemon” She adds.

Hope can only feel her muscle tense and Maya’s gaze on her.

Everything is intentional.

* * *

It’s not exactly cold outside when Penelope decides to step outside of the dinner, yet, for some reason she wraps an arm around her torso.

She still shivers when there’s absolutely no wind and she realizes that the front pocket of her jeans feels a lot heavier than before. She knows her body is only making up excuses for her to take the pack of cigarette out, but really, she’s in no position to deny it anything, especially not tonight. She easily convinces herself she needs to warm herself up and soon enough, the stub is between her lips and the lighter is burning in front of her face.

Penelope barely even puffs the smoke into the air when she hears footstep approaching. She doesn’t need to look to know who it is. There was only one person who knew her enough to follow her out.

“I hate it”

Josie doesn’t ask what, she already knows, she always does. Penelope almost wants her to say it back, but she knows better. The cheerleader wasn’t one to be true about her feelings, not even with herself.

“you’ll get over it” is what she gets instead, and it upsets her enough to finally look back.

Josie was looking at the road ahead, wearing a bigger jacket over her cheerleader outfit, neck bare revealing the freshly new marks, the last two being courtesy of another boyfriend.

“I would’ve if I wanted to” Retorts Penelope, bringing her cigarette back to her mouth. 

Josie’s eyes finally lay on her.

“not surprised, you’re an idiot” She answers back.

Her eyes flicker to the road ahead, noticing a familiar car. She takes her time, stepping to close the distance between her and the goal keeper.

“at least I’m honest about it. What does that make you?” Penelope’s smile can only reach her ears when Josie’s face is just inches away from hers.

“Smarter than you” 

Penelope feels her long slender fingers travel down her arm and hand before the taller brunette takes the cigarette away from her fingers, and she’s about to protest when the cheerleader beats her to it.

“fitness freak is here”

Penelope looks up to see a certain car park not far away from them. She loses her good mood at the same time as Josie takes the longest drag from her cigarette, puffing the smoke back in the face in front of hers as she hears doors of a car closing.

“what are you guys doing outside?” a rather too enthusiastic voice makes Josie turn around to answer.

“I obviously needed a smoke”

She doesn’t even try to act surprised when she sees Maya’s playful gaze or Hope’s eye roll. Penelope, now behind, waves the smoke away with a hand while coughing and silently thanking Josie.

“Are you okay?” asks a concerned Hope.

“yep. perfectly fine” manages out a still struggling Penelope.

She’d have to repay Josie the favor one way or another. If Hope had seen Penelope smoking…the latter wouldn’t have lived long enough to hear the end of it. Not to mention that coach had a strict no-smoker policy. Not that Hope would rat on her. She would never.

Hope’s attention switches to the cigarette owner. She doesn’t decide to hate the forced smile plastered on her face, she just does because its obviously hypocrite.

“I won’t stop you from ruining your own lungs, but try not to make my friends suffer the same fate”

Josie opens back her eyes, stands straighter and ignores Maya’s apologetic eyes as much as she ignores Hope’s advice.

“I don’t care”

Her eyes make sure to hold on to Hope’s as she takes another drag. Her lips intentionally making a popping noise as she blows yet again, more smoke.

“It’s okay” tries Maya, holding Hope by the bicep in an attempt to calm her down. She knew Josie could go on until tomorrow with her snarky comments and that Hope could easily become hot headed, when it came Josie at least. “it’s okay. Josie only smokes occasionally”

And as if bewitched, Hope loses all willingness of starting a fight. She looks away easily, allowing Maya’s hands to squeeze her arm as they walked away.

Penelope smiles as the pair head inside. Josie sees it as she throws the far from finished cigarette, crushing it under her soles with no hesitation. Something on the ground must’ve been funny, she thinks. She doesn’t know what it is.

* * *

Penelope sets her chin in the palm of her head, face betraying no emotions which was very unlike her, had thought Josie. Her eyes were settled on Maya, studying her reaction and it’s only when she noticed the faint blush covering the latter’s cheeks that Penelope cracked an unrecognizable smile.

Hope had just wiped some sauce from her mouth. Maya hadn’t even asked. She didn’t even know what she needed to do with the tissue Josie had thrown her way, until Hope took it.


End file.
